A non-governmental organization,
Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative (YDEI), has concluded plans to engage Kogi State House of Assembly to ensure that youth development remains a key focus in state budget discussions.
The organization made this known in a communique issued to journalists on Wednesday during a training on State Budget Analysis covering the 2022, 2023, and 2024 appropriation laws with a specific focus on the youth development and empowerment sector.
The communique was jointly signed by Aminu Okwutepa Oseni, Executive Director, Lugard Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative; Benjamin Jeremiah, Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Kogi State Chapter; Bashiru Umar, D.O Youth Parliament, and Matthew Joseph, Director of Education, National Association Kogi State Students (NAKOSS).
The critical training it was learnt was organized in collaboration with LEAP Africa under the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) and was held in Lokoja.
According to the communique, the training served as a follow-up to YDEI’s Social Accountability Lab Training conducted in July 2024, which brought together young changemakers from across Kogi State’s three senatorial districts.
The communique reads “The Social Accountability training is an initiative designed to promote transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance processes, particularly in the management of public resources.
“The project aims to empower communities, especially young people, by equipping them with the knowledge and tools needed to monitor public budgets, track government spending, and hold authorities accountable for the delivery of services.
“The initiative, under the Youth Upright Accountability Project (YUA-P), has made significant strides in fostering youth engagement in the budget process and social accountability. One of the key outcomes of this sustained effort has been the formation of the Youth Budget Committee.
“The Youth Budget Committee is committed to advocating for youth-centered policies, particularly in terms of ensuring adequate budget allocations that address the specific needs of young people in Kogi State.
It added that participants were equipped with the skills necessary to effectively analyse state budgets, with a focus on youth-related allocations.
Continuing, the communique State that, ” The training further strengthened the capacity of the Youth Budget Committee to advocate for policies that prioritize youth development. The committee is set to pursue strategic engagements with key stakeholders, including the Kogi State House of Assembly, to advocate for improved budget allocations in the upcoming 2025 budget cycle.
“The Youth Budget Committee will engage in advocacy visits to the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development and participate in budget defence sessions, as well as public hearings, to ensure that youth development remains a key focus in state budget discussions”.
